New military officer: Henning Otte elections with a clear majority

New military officer: Henning Otte elections with a clear majority

Celle, Deutschland - On May 21, 2025, the Bundestag unanimously elected Henning Otte from the CDU/CSU as the new military officer. He received 391 votes in a secret vote, while 188 MPs voted against him and 28 abstained. This step took place on the basis of a joint proposal by the CDU/CSU and SPD, which underlines the cross -party support for Otte. Otte follows the SPD politician Dr. Eva Högl, who has held the office since May 25, 2020 and served for five years.

The office of military officer is anchored in the Basic Law and includes parliamentary control of the armed forces. According to Article 45b of the Basic Law, the military officer is an important aid body of the Bundestag. His central tasks include preserving the fundamental rights of the soldiers and ensuring compliance with the principles of inner leadership. In addition, the military officer creates a comprehensive report on the inner state of the Bundeswehr, which is presented in the German Bundestag.

Henning Otte: An experienced candidate

Henning Otte has an extensive experience in defense and security policy. He has been a member of the Bundestag since 2005 and has continuously represented his constituency Cellen - Uelzen. Before his political career, Otte was trained as a reserve officer in a tank battalion and supplemented his qualifications through training as a savings bank clerk and a law degree. From 2014 to 2021 he was the defense policy spokesman for the Union faction and vice-boss of the Defense Committee in the last parliamentary term. He is currently also a member of the CDU federal board.
Union faction leader Jens Spahn described Otte as a "optimal candidate" for this important task. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) was positive about the upcoming collaboration with Otte and at the same time thanked his predecessor Högl for her commitment and the work done.

outlook and challenges

In the run -up to the election, the MPs discussed the annual report in 2024 by Högl. This report drew a mixed picture of the Bundeswehr and pointed out numerous problems and grievances, especially with regard to material and personnel equipment. These challenges will also present Otte's first major tasks as a new military officer, since he now has to devote himself to the task of effectively representing the voice of the soldiers and making solutions.
The election of the military officer took place at the same time when the Bundestag also elected members for the election committee for the election of judges of the Federal Constitutional Court. This illustrates the active political activities in the Bundestag, where important decisions are made in parallel.